Katie squeezes my hand and gives me a sympathetic smile. I know Owen will eventually come around, but it kills me that he’s feeling left out and isn’t the same bubbly kid as before.
He opened up a little when we worked on the house a few weekends ago and mentioned his dad when I asked him what was wrong. Instinctively, I froze but just listened so I could support him. He mentioned how many of his friends have their dads at baseball games and to practice with and how he wishes he had that. It makes him feel left out. Then he said he was jealous the twins would have a father. I almost told him I’d always be here for him in the same way, but I chickened out and didn’t want to overstep my boundaries.
The sad way he looked broke my heart, and I didn’t have the courage to tell Katie about our little chat. I told him he can always talk to me about anything and that I’ll keep it between us unless he says otherwise.
The situation with Anthony being at his mimi’s has been confusing for him too, and I wonder if it’s time we tell him that Anthony is his half brother. Surely, he’ll have more questions, but if I were him, I’d want to know.
Brittany was charged with attempted murder, kidnapping, and conspiracy to commit murder, so Loretta and Elliot have full guardianship rights. All Owen knows is Anthony’s mom got into a lot of trouble and has been in jail.
We arrive in Mobile, and soon, she’s parking at the clinic. I take her hand as we walk inside and sit in the waiting room.
“Did you know I was going to be a boy?” Owen asks Katie.
“Sure did, and I couldn’t have been more excited about it!” She beams at him.
“What about Daddy? Was he happy too?”
Katie cups his face. “Of course he was. He even picked out your name.”
Owen’s eyes light up. “He did?”
“Yep, and when you were born, I chose his name for your middle name so he would always live with you.”
Owen squeezes his eyes as if he’s trying to hold back tears. I remember when I lost my mother around his age and how devastated I was, knowing I’d never see her again. I have ten years' worth of memories, though, where Owen only has the stories other people share.
I try hard not to get choked up, especially since today’s already an emotional day, but luckily, Katie gets called back before that happens.
After Katie gives Owen a hug, we all follow the ultrasound tech to a dimly lit room. I can tell Katie’s getting anxious by how fast she talks and nods at the instructions.
Ten minutes later, she’s lying on the table with her shirt up. The tech explains all the measurements she needs to get and says she’ll print us some pictures. The two babies on the screen already have my whole heart, but the love I feel at this moment is so damn intense.
“Wow,” I whisper, sitting next to Katie and squeezing her hand.
“Baby A is sucking their thumb,” the tech says with a smile. “I think Baby B is sleeping, but if you want to know the genders, I can wiggle around a little bit.”
“Yes, please. We want to know,” Katie says.
The tech moves around to get where she needs to go. “Alright, ready?”
“Yes!” Katie and I say at the same time.
“Baby A is a boy!” she announces.
“Yes, I knew it.” I grin.
“And Baby B…” She narrows her eyes, moving the wand around before she says, “Another boy!”
“Oh my gosh,” Dianna squeals. “A houseful of boys.”
I glance over and see Owen smiling. Relief floods through me that he’s excited to witness this. Katie wipes the tears off her cheeks, and Dianna is over the moon.
“Twin boys, sweetheart. Can you believe it?” I lean over and kiss her.
“I think we should name one Darth Vader,” Owen says. “Or Anakin.” He shrugs as if it’s the best idea ever. “Or one Darth and one Vader.”
“Well, it would continue with theStar Warstheme.” I chuckle, flashing him a wink.
“How so?” Dianna asks.